Anyone played the game as see that russian and arab elite archers are much stronger of western crossbowmen, so in good hands they can be a terrible weapon.

My first reaction was to play like a TW, place in first position second rank troops and wait the end of arrows rain. But i see this is a very wrong choice for two motivation:

1 - the morale collapses very more rapid in XIII that in TW, so I lost units without gain time

2 - the units which collapse create morale damage to the other one.

A tactic I tried is to advance with the elite armoured infantry in no-dense order with my archers or crossbowmen in second rank. The foot-knights receive minor losses because of their armour, and have a stronger moral, at the same time the western missile units inflict stronger losses in near range. A secondary lateral assault with irregular cavalry can help to create "caos" in the enemy shooters before the contact.

If the you want create a pike ring with shooters back, remember that when a single shooter from a unit go in close combat, all the fighters of same unit stop to shot. So close the men in a dense ring can be dangerous if the enemy go in contact, because your shooters risk to stop to shot, these of enemy at contrary have the space of free move.

at the same time the western missile units inflict stronger losses in near range

Wrong, only western crossbowmen have the best skill of shooting, and bolt of crossbow hase better damage then arrow.

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A secondary lateral assault with irregular cavalry can help to create "caos" in the enemy shooters before the contact.

The elite archers of Rus' and elite arabic archers are perfect in hand to hand, so they should be attacked stronger units

Quote:

If the you want create a pike ring with shooters back, remember that when a single shooter from a unit go in close combat, all the fighters of same unit stop to shot. So close the men in a dense ring can be dangerous if the enemy go in contact, because your shooters risk to stop to shot, these of enemy at contrary have the space of free move.

Right!

All that I have told I have told about "XIII Century: Blood of Europe" aka "XIII Century: Rusych" in CIS.

Wrong, only western crossbowmen have the best skill of shooting, and bolt of crossbow hase better damage then arrow.

Sure, but what i wanted tell is that a short distance also the western missiles start to have strong effect against the enemy.

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Originally Posted by MARIAN

The elite archers of Rus' and elite arabic archers are perfect in hand to hand, so they should be attacked stronger units

Yes, but a secondary attack direction, also without contact, can deviate the arrows from the principale attack with infantry, and again only a bowmen in close combat stop the entire units from shot phase, so you can attack and retire the cavalry leaving only the few cavalrymen already in close combat.

Sure, but what i wanted tell is that a short distance also the western missiles start to have strong effect against the enemy.

All shooters in a short distance are good, crossbowmen also good in medium distance, he hase in "BoE" skill of stoot 3.

Quote:

Yes, but a secondary attack direction, also without contact, can deviate the arrows from the principale attack with infantry, and again only a bowmen in close combat stop the entire units from shot phase, so you can attack and retire the cavalry leaving only the few cavalrymen already in close combat.

Right! But only one thing, irregular cavalry will tremble even at such use in fight with elite archers of Rus' or elite arab. archers.